Glossary of Art Terms

Signed & Numbered by the artist (or S/N)

Each fine art limited edition is signed by the
artist, certifying their inspection and approval,
then numbered.

Artist Proofs (or A/P)

An exclusive subset of any given release
traditionally reserved for use by the artist and
publisher. Collectors give greater value to A/P’s,
as they are often difficult to obtain. These are
signed and numbered separately from the edition. The
letters AP can be found written beside the numbers –
for example A/P 12/20.

Edition Size

The edition size is the number of reproductions that
total a given print or canvas release. There are 2
numbers on a limited edition-for example 157/200.
The number on the bottom (200) refers to the total
number of reproductions in the edition. The number
above (157) is the number of the individual print.

Size/Dimensions

The dimensions are marked in inches, listed width by
height (w” x h”) and refer only to the image area on
a print or canvas.

Low Inventory

A limited edition that is almost “sold out” at the
publishing company. There is usually less than 5% of
the edition remaining.

Sold out at publisher

No inventory of that edition remains at the
publisher. We may have the art for sale still so
call for our availability.

Giclee

A giclee (zhee-clay) is an elegant, state-of-the-art
reproduction that gives a vibrant color rendition of
an original painting. Giclee, a French printmaker’s
term for “sprayed”, was adopted to distinguish the
technique from ordinary offset printing. It also
signifies to the art buyer that the process and
materials used to create the print were intended for
the fine art market. A giclee is created by a
digital printer’s tiny ink jets that spray millions
of droplets of archival, water-based inks onto fine
archival art paper or canvas known as the substrate.
The combination of specific inks and substrate are
carefully selected to assure maximum print
longevity. Giclees are produced one at a time.
Depending upon their size, this intricate printing
process can take up to an hour or more for each
print. Afterward, the giclees are coated with a
protective finish. Whether printed on fine art paper
or canvas, the end result is always the same: a
beautifully reproduced work of art with the look and
feel of the original painting.

Textured Canvas

textured canvas prints—such as Howard Terpning's
Opening the Sacred Bundle—are published on a very
selective basis. This unique and valuable technique
replicates the look and feel of an original
painting, including canvas texture and, at times,
artist's brush strokes. The image is first printed
by offset lithography with oil-based inks on a thin
piece of oil-based material. A mold of the original
painting can be used as a guide to create a feeling
of brush strokes, or the artist can re-create the
brush strokes. The mold is used with heat and
pressure to bond the printed image to the
artist-quality canvas. The resulting fine art print
captures the texture as well as the image of the
original and is framed without glass. Fine Art
Canvas Art printed directly onto canvas material.
Some canvas art comes already stretched. Larger
canvas art will be delivered in a rolled form.

Canvas transfers

“Canvas transfers” has become a generic term that is
not the standard by which limited edition fine art
canvases should be referred. Most “transfers” are a
chemical process by which inks are lifted from the
original medium (usually paper) to another (canvas).
Most inks, papers, and printing processes were not
designed for this use so there can be a breakdown in
color. This process affordably allows more people to
own and enjoy a work of art than the original
painting would.

Offset Lithography

Offset lithography is a photographic printing
technique that uses inks, carried by rubber rollers
called printing blankets, to transfer images from
metal plates to paper. Not all prints are alike,
however, even at the same price. While the industry
for offset lithograph prints is often only four
colors, Greenwich Workshop fine art prints (for
example) print in as many as eighteen different
colors, resulting in unmatched clarity and color
fidelity to the original. This process affordably
allows more people to own and enjoy a work of art
than the original painting would.

Original Stone Lithograph

This is an age old technique in which an image is
drawn on a stone by the artist (in reverse) and then
pressed by hand, one color at a time, onto paper or
canvas. Each lithograph is considered an original
because the image is created during the process,
thus no two are exactly the same.

Serigraphy

The exacting serigraph process (also knows as
silk-screening) is a time honored hand printing
technique, based on stenciling, Ink or paint is
carefully brushed through a fine fabric screen,
portions of which have been masked for
impermeability. For each color, a different portion
of the screen must be masked, and each color must be
allowed to dry before the next is applied. The depth
of color in the resulting fine art serigraph is
almost luminous.

Archival Quality

Fine Art limited editions sold by Artifacts Gallery
are printed with the most advanced reproduction
technology for image fidelity. Fade-resistant
archival inks and the finest acid-free paper and
canvas ensure the longevity of your fine art
purchase. We assure the quality of your limited
edition art. Artifacts Gallery has a legacy of
purchasing only limited edition fine art of
unsurpassed quality and integrity.

Hand Enhanced by Artist

Some paper or canvas editions include brushstrokes
done by hand by the artist. These additions enhance
both the look and value of the work.

Remarque

A sketch or watercolor, usually handmade by the
artist, which may accompany a special fine art
edition.

Posters

Posters are general mass produced with commercial
inks and papers and can be purchased anywhere for a
range of prices.

Animation Cels

A broad term that encompasses most types of
animation art. In its strictest interpretation, a
cel is the plastic sheet, either cellulose acetate
or cellulose nitrate, that animated characters are
painted on. In practice, the term cel has come to
mean that plastic sheet in combination with the
outline and coloring of a character, object, and/or
special effect. Outlines can be either hand-inked or
Xerographically transferred to the sheet of plastic.
Those outlines are then filled with color, either by
hand-painting or a serigraphic process, to complete
the cel.. 12 or 16 Field Cel:

These terms are used to describe the size of a
particular cel. They come from the size of the
"field" of view of the camera photographing the
artwork. For rough use, consider a twelve-field cel
roughly 10"x12", and a sixteen-field cel
approximately 14"x16". The actual framed size may
differ.

Original Production Cel

These are the cels actually used in the production
of a cartoon. They can have either Xerographed or
hand-inked outlines, and are hand-painted at the
studio. These cels are one-of-a-kind pieces of art,
and their rarity makes them highly sought after by
collectors. Because these cels were created to make
an actual cartoon, each cel is a component part of a
larger movement. Different cels from the same scene
may be more or less desirable depending on a variety
of factors: size, profile and expression of the
character, any damage to inking or paint, and
overall visual appeal.

Limited Edition Cel

As with production cels, limiteds can have either
hand-inked or xerographic outlines, and are also
hand-painted. The major difference, as its name
implies, is that the limited editions are created in
limited quantities, generally in runs of 250 to 500
cels. Because of these small edition sizes, limiteds
can also be very collectible. Some limiteds are
exact reproductions of the frames of the film they
represent. Others are based on contemporary
interpretations of classic characters or scenes by
their animators- Chuck Jones limiteds, for instance.
Limited editions are always hand-numbered on the
cel, and many are signed by the artists.

Sericels

Sometimes called serigraph cels. The serigraphy
process involves silk-screening each individual
color to the cel, one at a time. Every distinct
shade is a separate screen, and a separate pass in
the procedure. As a result of this fine art
operation, each color is flawlessly reproduced.
Sericels are also created in limited quantities,
typically 2500 to 5000 pieces. Because of their
larger edition size, sericels are the most
affordable type of animation art, ideal for the
beginning collector.

Animation Drawing

These are the original, one-of-a-kind drawings,
penciled by the animator, that cels are eventually
made from. Drawings can be rough, or the more
refined CLEAN-UP drawings. Sometimes, set-ups are
available with matching drawings and the cel that
was made from it.

Animation storyboard Drawing

A drawing or story sketch made for the storyboard,
which conveys visually the plot and action of a
scene or shot. The storyboard serves as a
preliminary guide for the artists.

Animation Cel Model Sheets

Drawings, or studio reproductions of a character in
a variety of actions used as reference by the
animators during production.

Animation Backgrounds

Boy, is this a can of worms. We will try to cover
the major types of Backgrounds you are likely to
encounter, and what they mean.

Original Production Background

This covers a wide range of backgrounds that are
original paintings, and were used in the production
of a cartoon. It is important to note that it does
not necessarily mean it is the same production that
the cel is from. It may not even be from the same
studio as the cel. If you see this term used, you
will want to know what production the background is
from.

Key Master Set-Up Background

This is the ultimate set-up, and the most rare. A
key master set-up combines the original cel, or a
key set-up of cels, with the background they were
originally photographed over. When framed, this will
look exactly as it did in the actual film or short.

Presentation or Hand-Painted Background

This type of background was specially prepared to
complement the cel by an independent artist.
Generally, it will be in the style of the original.
Although it may enhance the visual appeal of the
set-up, it adds little value or collectibility to
the cel (unless the artist is famous in his or her
own right).

Reproduction Background

This is the most common type of background. It is,
as the name implies, a copy of a background. The
reproduction can be by color Xerox, lithography,
serigraphy or photography. In many cases, it is a
reproduction of the original background.

Lithographs / Lithography

Lithography owes it existence to the chemical
principal that oil and water do not mix. The artist
draws the image to be printed on a flat slab of
limestone, metal, or plastic using a greasy crayon.
The surface is then chemically fixed and wet with
water, which does not adhere to the greasy image
areas. When the surface is inked with a roller, ink
adheres only to the greasy areas and not the wet
area. Paper or Canvas is then positioned over the
plate and the press is manually operated to produce
one impression. The process must be repeated for
each color. It is not unusual for fine lithographs
to be printed from 15 or more plates.

Giclee Prints

Creating Giclée fine art prints requires the utmost
care and attention to detail. The printer customizes
the color settings for each image so that each print
is truly what the artist had in mind. The French
term "Giclée", literally meaning "spray of ink," is
used to describe these prints. Four precision
nozzles spray up to a million microscopic droplets
per second on to fine art paper or canvas.
Displaying a full color spectrum, the prints are
lush and velvety, capturing the subtle nuances of
the original artwork.

Thomas Kinkadeis
America's most collected living artist, and the adventure that he's
taken to get there is a fascinating and compelling story.
Read more...

Michael Godard'sArt changes the face of even the most traditional
subjects, creating mood and mystery on canvas at times painted so
realistic you feel as though the subjects will reach out and touch you.

Disclaimer: United States Shipping only. Prices are subject to change
without notice... Shipping applies on all paintings. On all sale items -
shipping and handling applies. You are responsible for return shipping, and it
you must call for return authorization (no returns accepted without
authorization). Limited editions subject to availability. Not
responsible for lost items. Shipping Charges apply to all returned items,
unless defective.